Chocolate Orange Brioche Rolls

Prepare the dough the night before and then bake pillowy, sweet brioche rolls with a chocolate and orange filling and topped with an orange glaze. Perfect for a holiday brunch.
By Amanda Powell

Soft, sweet brioche is the perfect comfort food. The brioche is pillowy and soft and melt-in-your-mouth buttery with a hit of orange. Instead of a plain cinnamon sugar filling, I added more orange zest and chocolate shavings. I used a microplane to shave my chocolate, but honestly, it will probably be easier to just give it a good chop or even a quick pulse in the food processor. I topped the orange and chocolate brioche rolls with a warm, sticky orange glaze that I could drink on its own.

Yes, definitely great comfort food. Or even something nice to share with the family on weekends, or a holiday morning!

I made 7 extra large brioche rolls, but you can make 14 regular-sized rolls – just cut back on the baking time a bit. To enhance the flavor, I let my brioche rise overnight in the refrigerator which is also great if you want to make these in the morning, without waking up at 4am. You can also let it rise at room temperature for an hour.

Bake pillowy, sweet brioche rolls with a chocolate orange filling in the morning and topped with orange glaze. Perfect for holiday brunch.

Author: Amanda Powell

Recipe Type: Baking, Brioche

Serves: 7 rolls

Ingredients

zest of three oranges

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

2½ teaspoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons sugar

3 oz shaved or finely chopped dark chocolate

2½ cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

Make the brioche dough, then after you've kneaded the dough work in the zest of one orange. Cover well in a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise in the refrigerator overnight. If you want the rolls the same day, place the bowl in a warm, dry area to rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.

In the morning (or after the dough is about double in size), gently deflate the dough and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out until it is about 14 x 18 inches.

Cream the butter, zest of one orange, cinnamon, and sugar together, then spread over the dough. (I like to put my mixture into a piping bag, then pipe it over the dough and spread with an offset spatula). Evenly spread the chocolate over the butter mixture.

Tightly roll the dough lengthwise and then cut into 7 equal pieces. Place the rolls in a 9 inch pan, or place them in a jumbo cupcake pan (I used a cupcake pan).

Bake for about 15 ­ 18 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. (If you place them together in a pan, it may take a couple more minutes to cook through). Allow to cool.

Mix together the zest of one orange, powdered sugar, orange juice, and heavy cream together to form a glaze. Add more liquid if needed to achieve you desired consistency. Pour over the rolls and serve.